What's your effective range hunting?  I frequently practice out to 27 yards and can shoot consistent groups at that range.  That's as far as I can shoot across the yard.  I have taken game out to 30 so I would claim that to be my effective range even though I can hit targets much further at the farm.

Well everyone is different. I don't take shoots over 20 yrs, I did take one that was over 30 and gut shot a deer..I won't do that again.

Mine is 20 yrds.  I often practice out to 40, but I keep my hunting range 20 or less.  Could I take a deer out to 30 or 40?, possibly......but I'm more comfortable at 20 during hunting situations.  Also, I like to get as close as I can.

My effective hunting range is around 20 yards.  I practice anywhere from 5 yards to out to 50 and occasionally 60.  I'm very accurate at 30 but just feel more comfortable at 20 or less.  Would I take a shot farther...if the animal was totally unaware and I had plenty of time to shoot...I would stretch it out to 35 yards with a confindent shot.

-Mack

I set a personal limitation on myself, this year (my 1st trad. season) at 20yds.  I took 5 whitetails, with the longest shot being 17yds.

All was/is well!

This answer will be different for everyone.  Other things might also influence your "effective range" (weather; extreme cold; etc...; etc...; etc...).

What I don't like seeing is.....people letting their own limitations somehow decide the moral standard for others.  If the next guy to post says his effective range is 60yds....and he truly believes that (confidence)....then I will salute him and tell him I'm envious.

I agree with GMMAT.  I try to practice at a lot of different ranges and am confident out to 25, but try take animals under 20.  It would have to be an exceptional situation for me to push it past that mark, even though I shoot over that all the time.  That does not mean there are not others who can shoot better groups at 30 than I can at 15.  I can only aspire to get better and salute those who can make the shot.

I'm ok at 30, pretty good at 20, but son, I am death at 12 yds!  Thats what I strive for!

I know it when I see it.  I prefer to keep my hunting shots under 20 yrds, but full disclosure is that I did that with wheels to.  I practice out to 40 and even 60.  I let the shot and my feelings dictate.  If a deer is standing broadside at 30 and I feel confident I can make the shot, I'll take it. On the other hand if a deer is under 10 and I just don't feel comfortable I'll let it pass. (i.e.  This year after sitting against a tree I had  a 6 point at about 10 yrds.  I couldn't get to full draw because I was real stiff, and I let that deer pass because I didn't feel good about the shot)

I feel comfortable out to 25 yards but I try to limit myself to 20 yards in hunting situations.  I do try to set my stands to give me a 15 yard shot.

I have shot deer out to 35 yards but I keep my effective range now days to 20 yards or less.

Under 20.

out to 25 for me but I always try to get as close as I can.

Given my experience as a bowhunter education instructor, I would say it's half of what most folks say it is.  That's about the way it turns out when we ask students to prove it.  First we ask them to state their effective range as part of the session on shot selection, etc.  Then, we go outside and ask them to shoot through the cut out vitals in a steel silhouette target at what they reported was their effective range.  At least half refuse to do it (It is voluntary).  And of those that do take the shot, way more than half miss it and end up with a broken arrow.

I'm safe at 20.

Not to easy a question for me because it changes with the situation.
I practice some pretty extreme ranges but only really get into form work out to 50 yards.
For all my hunting life I never took a shoot at over about 25 yards,but two years ago I put a long stalk on a big feral goat and when I got to where there was nothing but clear ground between him and I, I settled in got calm an took my shot.
I shot that old boy an inch above where I was aiming an he took off up hill,got about 15 yards an then came rolling all the way back to where I'd hit him.
One of the boys had a range finder an took a measurement from him too the bush I'd shot over.
35 yards on the button,,,I'd never even thought about distance before I took the shot.He was a jet black goat standing in the middle of a white clay road,,,I could of thrown a rock at him an scored.
Other times I've had deer inside 15 yards an the shot just wasn't on.
I make up my mind at the time,don't second guess it and take full responsibilty for the out come.

Twenty yards is it for me although I really don't think about it. A few years ago I shot at a buck and I shot low. I paced it off and it was close to 40 yards. Then a year or two later I had a broadside chance at another buck but didn't like the feel of the distance. I didn't shoot. I paced it off and it was 22 yards. I think circumstance decides the yardage you feel comfortable. I longest shot that I have killed a deer is about 22 yards.  

10 yds 4 me        just got my first recurve in Jan

I really don't even think in terms of yardage when I shoot. I just look at whatever I'm going to shoot at and position my arrow where I think it needs to be to hit it.

I won't think twice about shooting at a deer until I have to hold over..that probably works out to be about 40yds. However 99.9% of my shots and opportunities are within 10 steps of my tree.

May be cause I can't hear em or see em till they get right on top of me anymore.

20 yards and under for me. I practice further, but wouldn't feel confident on a good hit over 20 yards.

I'm comfortable shooting "game-killing" groups out to 25 yards or so.  I limit myself to around 18-20 yards in the woods, though.  Game does things targets don't, and predicting their movement is a chancy thing at best.  The closer the better, within reason.